Passed up on promotion

[ellie09]

So, in my work we get EOY apprisals where there is a certain amount of automatic promotions allocated.

I've been with the company 4 years. I've worked my backside off the last year covering illness and as the more experienced team member, I've had to help out the others in the team quite often.

I was disappointed in my appraisal I must say. I got given a pay rise, and a bonus similar to last year. The feedback given to me was that the team would be lost without me, I'm so experienced and great with helping out with others and next chance I get I should apply for promotion. Despite this, I was given the same rating as last year (where admittedly I didn't work as hard)

There are two others in my team. They've been there for around one year and are very friendly with the manager. They know about 30% of the processes I do, and I regularly help them with their work etc. They work hard and are nice people but I don't feel as though they are on the same level as me.

Anyhow, the two of them got automatic promotions.

We are told to keep hush hush about any news we are told but I overheard conversations as they sit behind me.

I am obviously very upset. I've always been considered the more tenured team member, the one people apparently "need" and I have been passed up over them.

As its not common knowledge, I'm sitting here today keeping my mouth shut, really trying to hold back tears of frustration and anger. I'm thinking about taking some time off.

AIBU?

What would you guys do in my situation?

Am so sorry @ellie09 things like this really knock your confidence. Agree with pp to use your energy in looking for a new role.

just read that you are a single mum, do the other two women have kids. perhaps HR is thinking a promotion would be too much for you, for whatever draft reasoning they have appied to it

No they don't have children, they are much younger women than me in their first jobs

It may be a factor but its not really something I could prove

HR don't decide on promotions, its down to managers and HR just signs it off

To be honest, the people linking the lack of promotion to having children (discrimination) are clutching at straws and you don't appear to have any evidence of it being due to that.

From what you've said, the others are recent graduates and that's probably why the manager has given them more support. They'll be on some sort of training pathway - official or not.

When the manager cancelled your one to ones, that was a sign of no investment.

The timing of going off sick - especially after discussing the lack of promotion with other people at work - is going to look petty, so you need to be prepared for that.

I don't think there is any discrimination going on. Others have been promoted that have children in the past

I am aware it may look petty, but it has done a number on my anxiety when you are sittng listening to people gossiping. My paranoia was going ten fold and I couldn't concentrate. Also, I have to decide if I want to pursue the path of getting another job. Working 45 hours a week as a single mum, I would have no time for applying, interviews etc. Using this time to decide on what I would like to pursue and have time for interviews if opportunity arises. If I'm at work I will become complacent again and so the cycle restarts

At this moment in time, after 4 years of blood sweat and tears, canceling annual leave to help them and coming in sick when they begged me, I couldn't really care if they think I'm petty (which I am sure majority do, I'm not naive)

Well done @ellie09 Put you first for a change. Your mental health and wellbeing is more important. If some see that as petty then it says a lot about their character.

Well done OP, take time off and let them stew in it.
I was once in a similar position and ended up leaving, and it was really worth it. If you don't stad up for yourself, no one else will.

You need to ask your manager, assuming you all have the same manager, why you were not promoted and the others were. If, as you say, you're working at a higher level and already do more and to a high level then there must be other factors at play that should be explained to you. Or (and I'm not being mean when I say this) you're not quite achieving the standard of work you think you are, and maybe your manager has bottled giving you an honest appraisal.

I was frustrated with missing promotion for a few years, a victim of conflicting line management and unclear visibility I thought. I queried what I needed to do to be moved up a level and there were some specific behaviours I needed to work on that I thought were only minor but had been blocking my progress. I worked on them over the next year and then was promoted in the next cycle.

If you don't ask you'll just be left guessing or frustrated. Ask calmly and if there are issues ask for pointers on ways you can overcome them.

@JustinOtherdad But OP has already been doing all those things, and if you read her update, it is clear her manager fas been displaying a lot of favouritism towards the two other candidates, so it seems it's more personal and the lower grade is just an excuse for not giving promotion rather than OP not deserving it.

email your manager and your managers manager and tell them how devalued you feel despite supporting others and undertaking critical tasks, you feel devalued after inexperienced workers x and x have promotions, that you have worked your socks off even while ill and your outcome is still the same as last year. This has made you feel very low and anxious about work. Be honest. Take a week off and look for jobs. Start applying.

Personally I think you need to go up the chain and talk to those above the manager

2 women have been promoted above you with no explanation as to why?

That is not good practice - you deserve to have the why explained to you so at least you understand

And if the why is your minor mistakes then you need to point out that the 2 who have been promoted also made minor mistakes

I would email manager who made the promotion decisions. See what is said

If the answer is shit, email managers manager cc-ing manager and explain how you feel

In the meantime work your hours only , no overtime

Once you have an answer review the situation. If you're still not happy get signed off 2 weeks sick with stress and find a new job

There's several potential reasons OP and it's impossible to say as an outsider:

• It may be that you're indespensible in your current role/level (common)

• It may be that there are responsibilities or expectations of the senior role that your bosses don't think you are capable of (also common)

• Perhaps elements of your performance weren't as good as you believed? Maybe on the behavioural side? Was there some not so glowing feedback somewhere?

The only advice here is ultimately to ask why you haven't had a promotion and what you need to do to get it next time. A good manager will be quite open and honest about it and work on a plan with you. However, I'll also give advice not to use tenure as an argument for promotion because it means nothing and waters down your argument significantly.

Take the outcome of this conversation as a decision point on whether it's worth staying or not.

It’s time to look for a new job-for whatever reason the manager has favoured these other two women. You may, or may not get a promotion next year so you might as well go elsewhere.
I went through a similar thing last year-not for a promotion but severe staffing issues meant I worked sick, through a/l and rest days not happy about it but all the shops in the area had had the same issue and it was strongly hinted no cover available. I found out there was-and it was given to shops who have more staff and make less. It’s made me re-think how I have been putting the job before my well being and not making a noise so now I protect my time off. It has also made me see how I am seen by my manager-not worth supporting as I just get on with it. I will be looking for a new job soon.

I also echo what other pp’s say-normally I would not as I hate people faking sickness but since you have worked through being sick getting signed off for a week is
a good idea. They won’t think anything of it as you would have built a good reputation for coming in-they will believe you are genuinely sick.

Sadly length of tenure don’t mean shit. In my last job there were people who’d brag that they’d been doing the job since before I was born, yet still weren’t as good as it as they thought they were. They were very stuck in their ways, no new ideas and always moaning. I’m sure it ground their gears when I was promoted by applying for it and working my entire arse off to get it, when they did none of those things.

Yeah I would see it if I was given any negative feedback but I wasn't. My managers feedback was "the team would be genuinely lost without you. You do any additional work tasks without any fuss and are willing to take on any challenge I give you. I would really want you to go for promotion next time, I will make you my project and give you anything you need for it"

I told her a year ago that I wanted a promotion ASAP but the level of support I have received is poor - very few one to one or feedback even though I have asked for this. I also don't like to think I am someone's "project". Its my career, it's more important than anyone's "project".

We get work splits every morning. I am trained in all areas so I had been given more work roles due to sickness cover etc most weeks. This is not something I volunteered to do. I told my manager I had no extra time for any other non BAU work and she said she sympathises and hopes staffing levels improve - they didn't ask once one person was back, another was off.

I came into work crippled with pelvic inflammatory disease where I could barely walk. I have an autoimmune disease which causes tingling and numbness in my limbs but every day I was in. Recently I had a pretty bad throat and chest infection which made me feel really poorly and I worked through it. My health has not been great the last few months, probably stress lowering my immune system.

The only time I was sick from work in 4 years was a week off last year as I caught covid and was bed bound. They still tried to make me work from home.

They can think what they want with my recent sick line. I feel run down and it has been a long time coming. I should have been off months ago.

I was in touch with a recruiter who has set me up for an interview next week. Salary far higher than even a promotion would have gotten me. I was not aware such higher salaries were being offered so I was glad I reached out

I'll be honest OP and say you're doing the right thing regardless of the promotion (which I get the frustration with). Career wise, the only way I've known anyone get significant raises is by moving externally and there's still a fairly buoyant jobs market out there so think you may find the financial rewards of moving very good!

I don’t think the answer is to go on the sick op. It won’t do uou any favours.

the fundamental issue here is you needed a 4 for promotion and for 2 years running got a three. First year due to not enough work effort, this year due to the errors.

they are clearly considering the errors signficant enough that they don’t feel you’re ready to move up yet and that these errors shouldn’t be made

I’d focus on that, I know it’s upsetting, but it would read they are amendable to promotion but they want the mistakes to stop.

Wtf does that mean?

Hope the interview goes well try not to be to angry with everyone. I know there's a great desire to right injustice but I suspect questioning your manager will only antagonise her and make things worse. Leaving seems the better option. The benefit of so few decent pension schemes is it makes it much easier to job hop. We were both in final salary schemes which makes it a difficult decision to switch. Look for the better salary and go.

Also lesson learned they employ you to do your job and that doesn't include other people's jobs. Nice words and praise doesn't top up the bank account.

could other services so to speak, be the reason for their promotions ?
Wtf does that mean?

I suspect they were eluding to possible intimate services but as the manager is also female, seems unlikely (though who knows these days)

OP - you're doing the right thing by leaving. There comes a point where every company takes their long standing good staff for granted and the give and take is no longer an equilibrium maybe as it once was.

I think if you were to secure a job offer and hand in your resignation, you'd be surprised in terms of what can suddenly be offered by way of your role and remuneration to get you to stay!

I daresay it'd cost them a lot more to hire and train a newbie to your level than enhance your current role and package to secure your tenure.

Good for you for contacting a recruitment agency. Regardless of how valuable your manager says you are, she has shown that for whatever reason, you're not promotion material in her eyes. Whether it's because she thinks you're a pushover and she can take your loyalty for granted or whatever other reason, it's time to take your dedication and hard work elsewhere.

It's about faces fitting I'm afraid. I worked in a top of the high Street chain and saw perfectly competent people passed over for promotion because they were disliked . I saw perfectly nice but incapable people promoted because their faces fitted and were liked . They didn't last in their position. Don't carry them and do do their work for them . Some people are manipulative and good at taking credit for the hard work of others .

If you read between the lines, the issue is her perceived conduct / ability to get on with others in the team.

Complaining about not getting a promotion to other staff then going off sick will make this worse.